The Game
by falsealarm715
Summary: Where Cat the woobie puppy and Jade the devious snake do not go on a date. One-sided Cade for the most part. Not a new story, just re-uploaded with higher rating.


**Disclaimer:** The only thing I own is the plot.  
**Author's Note:** This is my first Victorious fic and probably not my last. I only had a quickie beta so all mistakes are still my fault. Also, lolol this fic got pulled because I accidentally mis-rated it the first time around. My bad!

They show up at the theater just before the previews start and Cat is so excited she's gotten the hiccups. "This better be good," Jade harrumphs as she sits down.

If Jade had a choice she'd probably only spend five minutes a week with Cat and that five minutes would consist of her screaming "NO" at the redhead in varying volumes.

But, unfortunately for Jade, she doesn't have a choice because one of Cat's talents is forcing her way into the brunette's social life. She shows up unexpectedly in Jade's kitchen, chatting with her mom over a glass of milk or on Jade's bedroom floor with her laptop, perched precariously on an ottoman, ready to record. Their hangouts are always short-lived: Jade getting fed up with Cat's squealing and incessant questions after only a few short minutes. Each session ends with Jade physically steering Cat out of her house and locking the door behind her.

"Robbie," Cat hiccups, "said he liked it."

"Fantastic," Jade sighs as she rolls her eyes and sinks back a little farther into her seat.

On this particular Saturday, with the promise of a free movie ticket, Jade has pushed down her bitter feelings for all things pink and tiny animal-related to spend two solid hours in a dark room with Cat Valentine. When Jade peers over to Cat she's pulling a gummy bear from her bra and popping it in her mouth, her eyes already fixated on the screen as another hiccup jolts her system. Jade untucks a hand from her chest and presents it to Cat and without hesitation Cat pulls a second gummy bear from her bra and places it in Jade's open hand.

The majority of the previews are ones that they've seen before but Cat still 'oohs' and 'ahs', between hiccups, at all the big action scenes.

As the last preview fades out to an entirely black screen Cat lets out a solitary hiccup that echoes out into the quiet theater. The beginning credits have just started to roll onto the screen when some guy in the back of the theater screams "BOO". Cat lets out a squeal of surprise and grips at her arm rest, finding Jade's hand there instead of cushioned metal.

Cat's fingernails dig into the back of Jade's hand but Jade ignores the almost comforting pain and calls out a "thank you" to the dark theater. She'd been seconds away from screaming at Cat herself but dealing with Cat while she's upset is quite possibly one of the worst things Jade has ever experienced. A wash of relief floods her chest at the thought but she's unsure why the relief is settling so uncomfortably. She knows that it's self-preservation, saving herself from Cat's whining and pouting, but for a brief second she thinks it might have something to do with the fact that, lately, hurting Cat doesn't make her as happy as it should.

The tension in Cat's fingers keeps them tight against Jade's hand, her nails leaving crescent marks in Jade's pale skin. Jade lightly taps her fingers against the arm rest, the tendons in her hand moving just enough to loosen Cat's grip. "This isn't a date, is it, Cat?" Jade whispers and gives the redhead a little smirk.

The redhead, now hiccup-free, meets Jade's eyes briefly before flickering down to the arm rest. "No," she answers quickly before sheepishly tucking her hand back into her lap.

Cat's reaction is somehow off in Jade's mind. The nervousness is there but as Jade watches Cat turn her attention back towards the screen, her hands holding each other in her lap, Jade feels like there's something extra there but she can't quite put her finger on what it is.

The beginning credits finish and Jade's mild curiosity starts to putter out as the story begins.

As far as movies go, this one is starting out on Jade's good side. She doesn't hate the main character, there's just enough mystique that nothing has gotten boring yet and it's a period piece which Jade secretly loves. There's just one problem that Jade manages to ignore for fifteen whole minutes before her rage gets the best of her.

Her fist is gripping her arm rest so tightly her knuckles have turned bone white. "Alright," Jade spits out, "that's it."

"Jade?" Cat questions softly, her hand tentatively reaching out to settle on Jade's forearm.

"No," she roars and reaches a hand out to grab the back of the seat in front of her. "You," Jade says loudly as she stands and rocks the back of the chair with a tight-fisted grip.

The woman in the chair jolts as Jade pulls the seat back, squealing loudly in surprise.

"If you say one more word I'm gonna take that popcorn and shove it right up your-"

Cat's patented high-pitched squeak quiets the rest of Jade's sentence and the movie-goer, although startled, seems to settle back into her seat hoping the quieted rage behind her will cease if she ignores it.

The one thing that Jade cannot stand when she goes to the movies is screen talkers. Couch potatoes that spend hours at home watching daytime tv and Lifetime movies who think that by yelling at the screen the movie will somehow change for them. It's actually one of the very few things Jade can truthfully promise she's hated her entire life.

"I'm talking to you, bald spot," Jade hisses as she rocks the back of the woman's seat again. Cat's hand finds her forearm once more and the sudden contact stills Jade, the second rock cut short as Cat silently pleads Jade to stop.

Jade is so busy focusing on the feel of Cat's small, warm hand against her arm that she doesn't notice when the woman, as if she's done it a million times before, casually takes the lid off her drink and splashes the contents over her shoulder. A second squeak from Cat is completely silenced by the growl that erupts from Jade's throat as they both find their fronts soaked through with some sickeningly sweet beverage.

"Nobody," Jade starts, her hand reaching to the waistband of her skirt, "gets to throw things on my friends but me!" The only thought that runs through Jade's head as her fingers find cold metal is how tightly Cat's hand is clutching at her forearm.

Jade lunges forward, scissors suddenly in hand, the blades open and glinting against the light of the previews. Before Jade can move an inch, Cat surges forward and grasps her by the waist, pulling her back. The two of them tumble against each other as they crash into one seat, Jade on Cat's lap with her scissor-wielding hand flying wildly in front of them.

"Stop!" Cat squeals as the brunette tries to wriggle free. "No scissors!" she says against Jade's back as Jade gets in a solid kick to the woman's chair, rocking it once more.

"Fine!" Jade calls out as she pries Cat's hands off of her and storms off, her scissors finding their way back to the waistband of her skirt.

"Jade! Wait!" Cat quickly stands up and follows Jade out of the theater and into the bathroom around the corner.

A few women are washing their hands quietly at the sink when Cat and Jade enter but Jade lets out another low growl and they rocket from the room, wiping their hands feverishly on their pants as they leave. Jade immediately reaches for the paper towels and starts patting at her arms, mumbling quietly under her breath.

Cat carefully sidles up alongside Jade and grabs a paper towel to begin dabbing at the front of her own shirt. Jade is silently huffing next to her, a pile of used paper towels building up on the counter as the brunette tries to soak up the brunt of beverage she's accumulated. Cat grabs for a new towel then reaches out and starts to gently pat at Jade's breasts.

"Cat," Jade says with a raised eyebrow.

"Your boobs are really squishy," Cat replies as she splays her hand on Jade's chest, spreading out the paper towel in hopes of soaking up more of the mess.

"Yes, Cat. Puberty graced me with squishy boobs."

"Well they're nice boobs." Cat answers sweetly.

"Stop saying boobs," Jade reprimands as she tosses another paper towel onto her pile.

"How about boobies?"

"No."

"Melons?"

"No."

"Milk jugs?"

"Cat…," Jade cocks an eyebrow.

"Or fluffy pillows?"

"Seriously?"

"How about fun bags?" Cat tosses her towel and grabs another.

"Where are you coming up with these?"

"Sinjin posted a list on The Slap," Cat simply says as she pats the top of Jade's breasts again, her new paper towel coming back only slightly damp now.

"So you memorized it?"

"Yep!"

The smile Cat beams at Jade hits the brunette squarely in the middle of her chest and Jade doesn't _exactly_ know what she should be doing but she's relatively sure she should be doing something. She is aware that most of her body is still sticky and that a shower would be beneficial in correcting that problem. She is also aware that she threatened a woman with a weapon and that someone else, likely with a taser, was probably notified. The thing she is most aware of, however, is that Cat, who is eye level with Jade's chest, has basically been getting to second base with her for nearly three whole minutes.

"Are you finished?" Jade asks as she glances down to Cat's hand, still wiping at her cleavage.

"With what?" Cat chirps happily.

"Fondling my chest?" Jade smirks and cocks an eyebrow.

Cat's eyes go a little wide and her hand stops moving as she looks up to Jade with a nervous smile. "Oh," she says as she pulls her hand back, a tint of blush creeping across her cheeks.

Jade sees it again, the extra something behind the nervousness. Cat's stammering and quiet frown is familiar but when Jade looks down at Cat again she finds the girl toying with the hem of her shirt, her eyes downcast and her cheeks tinted not with the shame Jade is so familiar with but that extra something. This isn't Cat's usual kind of uncomfortable. The kind she gets when Jade yells at her to be quiet or loudly refuses her affection. Jade is certain that this is an uncomfortable she's seen before but she's not sure what to make of it.

"Come on," Jade calls to Cat as she heads towards the exit.

They head out to Jade's car in relative silence, Cat trailing a few feet behind the brunette, her hands clasped in front of her. "Come on," Jade says with a tinge of annoyance as she climbs into the driver's seat.

Cat clambers around the side of the car and slides into the passenger seat just as Jade puts the car into reverse. "What about the movie?"

"Unless you have money to bail me out of jail we're not going back," Jade answers as she turns out of the parking lot.

They're just a few blocks away from Jade's house when her phone lets out a quiet chirp from the console. Jade reaches to grab it but Cat quickly yells, "Not while driving!" and slaps the phone out of the brunette's hand.

"Damnit, Cat," Jade chastises as the phone falls to the floor beneath her legs.

"I'll get it!" Cat answers and leans over the console. Her left hand perches on Jade's thigh for leverage as her right digs around underneath Jade's legs.

"Cat," Jade starts as the grip on her thigh starts inching farther up her skirt the further Cat reaches. Jade's foot is slowly settling heavier on the gas pedal with each slight movement of Cat's hand and a wave of something familiar starts rearing up in the pit of Jade's stomach.

"Almost got it," Cat replies as she leans her forehead against Jade's thigh and stretches her arm out. Her fingers finally make contact with the sleek cover of Jade's phone and her left hand squeezes Jade's thigh as she props herself back up. "Got it!" She says with a bright smile, her body still leaning over the console.

Jade swallows thickly. "Thank you, Cat, but could you stop trying to put your hand on my crotch, I'm trying to drive." Jade's hands grip the steering wheel tightly as she starts to slow back down.

Cat, suddenly very aware of where her hand has managed to slide, squeaks in reply and quickly leans back, her hand shooting out from under Jade's skirt. She sets Jade's phone back onto the console and sinks into her seat that faint little blush settling into her cheeks once again.

The blush is what confirms it and Jade is kind of ashamed that she hadn't picked up on it before because it's really completely obvious. Cat has never been very good at keeping secrets and although she hasn't said anything her actions and reactions have been screaming at Jade all day: little Cat Valentine has a crush.

/

Jade's room is almost pitch black when they get upstairs so Cat stands in the doorway while Jade, with years of practice, carefully navigates the dark to draw open the curtains, letting the fading light of the sunset cast shadows against the far wall.

Cat was surprisingly quiet during the car ride and even though Jade now has an inkling as to why, she's still a little worried. At no point in her somewhat lopsided friendship with Cat has she ever been in the girl's presence without hearing something from her. Even during tests she's humming to herself and she laughs at basically everything, her gruff little chuckles act as background noise for every conversation she's present in. There had been some humming towards the end of their drive, Cat's voice light against Jade's ears as the two of them listened to the radio but that hadn't been enough to shake the feeling of worry trying to dig a little niche into Jade's side.

Jade bee lines for her dresser and starts digging around in a drawer for a couple of shirts for them to change into. In an effort to quell the worry and perk up Cat, Jade picks out a special shirt from her drawer and calls, "catch!" as she throws it towards the redhead.

A black tee shirt flies from Jade's hand and envelops Cat's head as she turns with a sudden, "oh!" Cat pulls the shirt from her face and holds it out in front of her, squeaking fairly loudly when she reads the words 'fuck you' printed in large white lettering on the shirt. Grimacing, the redhead asks, "Do you have anything with baby animals?"

"Dead bunnies okay?" Jade questions and laughs to herself as she digs around in the drawer for a second shirt.

"No!" Cat yelps and looks at the shirt in her hands again. "This one is okay." As she carefully starts to pull off her tank top, Jade quickly shirks her shirt, tossing it against her closet door with a stifled slap.

Jade is too busy peeling her tights off to notice that Cat has slowly started to move towards her. And she is completely unaware of Cat's location change until there's a finger tracing the curve of her rib. "NO!" Jade shrieks as she jerks sideways at the sudden pressure.

Jade has never been one for physical affection. Hugs and kisses from her parents were rare in her childhood and she supposes that lack of affection has probably traumatized her in some irreparable way. She doesn't hug or comfort people with pats on the shoulder, she keeps her hands to herself and for the most part her friends have accepted that Jade just doesn't like being touched. Cat, however, hasn't ever really gotten that memo.

"What's that?" Cat questions, her curiosity seemingly undeterred by Jade's screech. She's still staring down Jade's side intently as Jade practically trips over her tights in an effort to scoot a little farther from Cat's curious hands.

"It's a tattoo," Jade says sharply as she slips into a fresh shirt, hoping that covering up the ink will get Cat to leave her alone.

She's wrong.

"What does it say?" Cat asks as she reaches out a second time to try to lift the hem of Jade's shirt.

"None of your business, pipsqueak." Jade answers as she slaps at Cat's hand.

"That's a weird thing to get as a tattoo." Cat's brows furrow again and then her eyes quickly widen, "hey!"

Cat's little pout and knitted eyebrows are familiar this time, this reaction is something Jade has seen before, something she knows how to deal with but it's almost bland now. There's not enough to it, Jade finds herself missing that little extra something so she decides to push a button or two.

Pulling her scissors from her waist and setting them on a nearby shelf, Jade lets out a low chuckle and starts to slip out of her skirt. As it pools on the floor she turns to Cat, who is still standing just inches from her, and with a devilish little smirk says, "you sure don't have a problem with boundaries, do you Cat?"

Cat doesn't immediately respond so Jade bounces her index finger on the tip of the redhead's nose and gives her a little wink. The touch seems to start some sort of chain reaction as Cat's eyes widen again and she starts tripping backwards a few steps.

Jade lets out another low laugh and grabs a pair of shorts from her dresser, "I think I'm gonna hit the shower, be back in ten, little red." She saunters out into the hall leaving a very confused and flustered Cat alone in her room.

It's already becoming far too amusing, messing with Cat the way she is. There's something about flirting with the redhead that Jade has instantly become attracted to. Her reactions are priceless, that's the majority of it. Making people squirm has always been one of Jade's favorite activities and Cat's usual responses are entertaining enough but flirting with the girl has provided Jade with a whole new set of reactions. There is an extra something though, as hilarious as Cat is, Jade finds that Cat is genuinely adorable when she squirms. The thought doesn't sit comfortably enough in Jade's head for it to stay long so she washes it away as she rinses the suds from her hair.

Her shower is actually short for once and when she returns to her room Cat is sitting on her bed looking through a large book that's settled against her crossed legs.

"Where'd you get that?" Jade half demands, only mildly annoyed that Cat's rummaged through her things while she was away. She sets to drying the ends of her hair with her towel and takes a few steps towards the bed to get a closer look at the book. When she sees what it is she's half surprised Cat hasn't already thrown the book in abject horror.

"I thought it was going to be a book about animals," Cat says as she looks up, a slight grimace on her face.

"It is," Jade answers with a smile as she takes a seat on the bed next to Cat and tosses her used towel against her closet door.

"But they're dead."

"And they're stuffed to look like they're alive. That's how taxidermy works, Cat." Jade takes the book from Cat's lap and flips to a bit farther in the back with illustrations. "See?"

Cat squeaks a nearly silent, "oh no," before reaching over to close the book with a loud clap.

"Damnit, Cat!" Jade shouts as she pulls her thumb from the book, a dull pain settling into the knuckle.

"Oh Jade, I'm sorry!" Cat coos and reaches over to grab Jade's hand, cradling it between her own two.

It's weird, the way Cat interacts with her. It's like she's continually forgetting that Jade has been ripping on her and flirting with her for the past few hours. She knows Cat's attention span isn't the greatest but these flip flopping interactions are starting to get confusing, even for Jade. She briefly thinks that maybe Cat is doing it on purpose, ignoring the ribbing and trying to make the best out of her time with Jade but Cat has never been that good at ignoring Jade's barbs, she gets offended far too easily. Jade can't decide what to think so she decides not to.

"We're watching a movie," Jade states as she pulls her hand from Cat's and tosses the book to the edge of her bed. She's halfway out the door before she hears the pattering of Cat's feet on the floor of her room, scurrying to catch up with her.

"Do you have any Pixar movies?" Cat asks as she settles onto the couch in Jade's living room, a dark red pillow in her lap.

"No." Jade barks as she scans the titles of dvds lining the shelf under her mother's brand new flat screen.

Cat hugs the pillow a little tighter and leans forward a bit, attempting to catch a glimpse of a few movie titles.

"No," Jade says again, softer but still threatening as she glances briefly back at Cat. "No looking."

"Nothing too scary," Cat says hopefully.

"Nothing too scary," Jade promises as she turns back around, a small smile finding her lips as her fingers skim across the spine of a well-worn case. She quickly pops it open and slides the dvd into its player then replaces the case to hide her choice.

"What are we watching?" Cat asks as Jade walks back to the couch and takes a seat against an arm, the remote already in hand.

"You'll see," Jade says with a bright smile.

It takes Cat nearly twenty-five minutes to figure out they're watching The Scissoring.

"That girl is always playing with scissors. She's like you, Jade!" Cat remarks as she plays with a loose string on the pillow still in her lap.

"Uh huh," Jade is watching Cat intently, the screen only garnering a minute fraction of the attention it normally gets when Jade watches it during her tri-weekly screenings.

"Hey those look like the scissors I got you for Christmas!"

"Yep," Jade agrees with a smirk. She rarely likes to watch horror movies with other people, generally because other people are little chicken shits who can't handle themselves. Beck is the only one of her friends who isn't afraid of horror movies but Jade chalks that up to the fact that he tends to fall asleep halfway through them. Jade is always too engrossed in the films to pay attention to his lack of attention so it's really like she's watching the movie by herself anyways. Occasionally, when she's feeling a little extra devious, Jade takes pleasure in sharing her horror viewing experiences with an unwitting friend and tonight she's got Cat.

The first slice of scissors against skin on the screen has Cat laughing and the small smile on Jade's face instantly drops as her eyes widen with realization.

"I know this movie! It's The Scissoring!"

"Why aren't you screaming?" Jade asks hurriedly, her annoyance at Cat's reaction completely apparent in the way her eyebrows are dipping into a scowl.

"I remember what happens!" Cat answers excitedly, her giggling now quieted, as she scoots a little closer to Jade on the couch to tap the girl on the knee.

"You're not scared?"

"I only get scared when I don't know what's going to happen and I do know what's going to happen so I'm not scared." Cat explains and playfully bumps shoulders with Jade.

"You should be scared though," Jade's voice is starting to get a little nasally, the slip of a whine sneaking into her tone.

"Shh, this next part is really good!" Cat shushes as she gingerly lifts up Jade's arm and settles into the space underneath it letting the limb rest atop her shoulders.

Jade is stunned into complete silence at both Cat's non-reaction to the movie and her sudden closeness. She is not by any means happy about Cat being completely unfazed by her favorite horror movie of all time. And having a plan backfire in her face is never something she's liked. Tonight, however, neither of those things matter because Cat is pressed firmly against her side and is playing with her fingers while watching people get shredded to death with scissors.

If it wasn't so out of character for Cat it would be pretty damn romantic but since Cat is made of bunnies and rainbows, Jade is having very conflicting feelings.

She ends up not moving for the entire rest of the movie and is shaken from a half-conscious reverie almost an hour later as Cat wraps her arms around Jade's torso in a tight hug.

"Thank you for not picking something scary," Cat says sweetly.

She honestly doesn't get it. Cat has always been a confusing person to understand and Jade has never been sure how exactly Cat's mind works. For the most part, Cat is an absolute enigma. Jade knows that she will never fully understand what's happening in Cat's head but tonight she's feeling more than a little curious so she decides to experiment.

"You're welcome," Jade says flatly, "now could you possibly remove your face from my cleavage? Only the people I date get to motorboat my tits."

Cat flinches only slightly this time and if it weren't for the fact that she is all but sitting on top of Jade, the brunette probably wouldn't have noticed. She doesn't move, however, so Jade decides on a change of plans. If she really wants to know what's going on Cat's head, she's just going to have to be direct about it.

"Cat, do you have a crush on me?" Jade asks, looking down at the top of Cat's head which is still leaning against her chest.

"Maybe," Cat answers simply.

"And did you think tonight was a date?" Because honestly, as Jade thinks back to what's happened between them today she's kind of surprised that Cat hasn't already tried to kiss her.

"Maybe," Cat repeats.

Jade wonders if this is what Cat is like with boys. She's never seen Cat flirt the way girls normally do: with hair flips and shy smiles. She's actually never seen Cat flirt with anyone at all. The girl has a habit of showing up with boyfriends, boys that Jade and her friends only learn about once Cat is already dating them. Jade briefly wonders if Cat has ever dated a girl but she supposes that this shyness, something Jade has never seen in Cat before, means that she hasn't. It's possible, Jade muses, that she is the first girl crush Cat has ever had.

"You know it isn't, right?" There's a little bite behind the comment. Jade figures she should be the good guy and let Cat down easy, considering she's a friend, but Jade has found that Cat responds fairly consistently to her direct and somewhat harsher tones of voice.

"I keep forgetting," Cat's arms loosen a little from around Jade but still stay locked against her side.

Jade isn't sure what they should do now. She's starting to get slightly cramped with Cat pressed up against her but Cat doesn't seem to show any signs of moving. Jade supposes that throwing Cat off of her would be too harsh, even for her, so she sits up a little straighter and says, "do you want ice cream?"

If Cat were a cartoon she'd have exclamation marks shooting out of the top of her head. "I'll get it!" The redhead quickly unlatches and untangles herself from Jade and shoots up from the couch.

Jade is immediately stricken by how cool her side feels now that Cat has left it, the temperature difference startling.

"Jade, you don't have any ice cream," Cat says a few moments later as she walks back from the kitchen with a dejected little frown on her face.

"I know," Jade answers as she stands from the couch and goes to put away the dvd. She can practically hear Cat pouting behind her.

"Can we go get some?"

"Only if you say the magic word," Jade answers as she stands up and smoothes out her shirt.

"Please?" Cat pleads, her hands clasped in front of her chest.

"Wrong, Cat. The secret word was rotting flesh."

"But that's two words," Cat counters.

"I don't care." Jade reaches for the remote and turns off the tv, heading back upstairs. Her room is once again dark and Jade's arm is halfway to the light switch when a fabulously devious little idea pops into her head.

By the time Cat's joined her upstairs the entirety of Jade's room is lit up with candles. The soft light illuminates just enough of the room that the two of them can walk around without worrying about tripping over anything. Jade, now clad in a tank top and pajama shorts lounges rather coquettishly on her bed as Cat stops in the doorway, her mouth slightly ajar.

Really, what kind of person would she be if she didn't use Cat's crush to entertain herself?

"Cat, sweetheart, I seem to have gotten some kind of crick in my neck. Could you come over here and help me?"

"Help you," Cat repeats as she meets Jade's eyes briefly before very obviously scanning the rest of her body.

"Please?" Jade adds.

The please gets Cat moving and she hesitantly takes a few steps towards the bed before boosting herself up to sit carefully beside Jade. "How can I help?"

"With your hands," Jade says as she pulls back her hair to expose a shoulder.

It takes Cat a moment but Jade soon feels a soft hand at the nape of her neck, smoothing out the skin briefly before tenderly massaging the area. Jade is slightly taken aback at how good it feels to have Cat's hands on her bare skin but she pushes the thought away and lets out a small groan.

"Are you okay?" Cat asks quickly, concern apparent in her voice.

"God, yes!" Jade replies, her exaggerated enthusiasm making her voice a little breathy. "Oh, Cat, that feels so good."

Jade can hear Cat swallow and the sound brings a smile to her face. It's been a while since Jade has been able to torture someone this easily. She usually has to come up with elaborate schemes to get to this level and scheming has become much more tiring for her as of late.

"Could you use both hands?" Jade asks, her voice dangerously husky.

Out of the corner of her eye she can see Cat vigorously nod her head. To think, at the beginning of her day Jade was absolutely dreading spending time with Cat and now she's possibly the happiest she's been in quite some time. The realization isn't lost on her; she finds it completely intriguing that her polar opposite could bring her so much joy so easily. The realization, however, doesn't change her mind about torturing Cat.

After a few moments Cat's fingers are starting to slip a little too familiarly across the back of Jade's neck, the wisps of hair there tickling against Jade's skin with each casual brush. It is comforting but the comfort isn't what she's in the mood for tonight so Jade reaches back and slaps at one of Cat's hands.

"No more," she says and pushes Cat's hand off her shoulder. She scoots away from the smaller girl and slips off the edge of the bed, announcing loudly: "I'm hungry." She heads off downstairs towards the kitchen without waiting for a response from Cat. She does, however, wait until she can hear Cat's feet pattering down the main hall to lean over on the counter, an eyeful of cleavage meeting Cat as she finally reaches the kitchen. She picks up an apple from a bowl of fruit set in front of her and runs her fingers lightly over the smooth flesh.

"Anything look good to you, Cat?"

"Y-yea," Cat stammers.

"Help yourself," Jade says as she brings the apple up to her lips and takes a large bite. She honestly hadn't even thought of the possibility of the apple being ripe enough to drip and now here she is, halfway through a bite with juice running down her chin and neck. It's completely comical, the way Cat's face looks as she watches Jade, her mouth is slightly agape but it might as well be on the floor with the way Cat's eyes have widened.

Jade casually wonders if Cat's wide-eyed shock has ever caused her headaches. Eyes are only meant to open so wide and Jade is sure the looks she's gotten from Cat tonight have far surpassed those limits.

Cat still hasn't moved from her spot when Jade pulls the apple away from her mouth. Her other hand is halfway to her face, set to wipe the juice from her skin but a light bulb goes off in Jade's head and instead she brings it back down to grab the hem of her shirt. Jade pulls up the fabric, much farther than necessary, and wipes at the juice slowly giving Cat plenty of time to ogle her torso. When Jade lets her shirt fall back down she's very sure that the reaction she's garnered has given Cat a fairly solid headache.

"Hurry up," Jade commands in a strong voice as she rounds the counter and heads back upstairs leaving Cat alone again. She's biting her lip to stifle her laughter as she ascends the stairs, the look on Cat's face etched into her mind. If Cat's facial expressions weren't so hilarious Jade would be flattered by how much attention Cat is paying to her.

Jade is settled into her recording chair, nearly finished with her apple, when Cat reappears in the room empty-handed.

"Not hungry?"

"No," Cat answers sheepishly.

"I thought you said you saw something you liked."

"I did, but-," Cat starts and bites her lip to stop herself.

"Yea?" Jade brings the apple back up to her mouth and takes a small bite, leaving the fruit hovering in front of her lips. "But?" Jade's tongue licks carefully at the fresh juice dripping from her bite.

"Nothing," Cat says quickly.

"Cat, you're being awfully quiet tonight. Are you feeling alright?" Jade can hear how saccharine her voice has gotten and it sends an uncomfortable shiver through her spine. She doesn't think she's ever been this attentive or sweet with anyone, not even when she was dating Beck. Granted the whole act is a lie but even acting as sweetly as she is is starting to bend her a little out of shape. She is getting a little worried about Cat again, though. It's great to know she's now got a way to reduce the girl to one word responses but being around her and not hearing her talk is unnerving.

"I'm okay," Cat replies. "How are you?"

"Oh I'm just peachy keen," Jade answers with her 1940s movie star voice. She thinks maybe it would be good to keep Cat talking for a little while, warm her up so Jade can get in a few more good knocks before they turn in for the night. "Hey, Cat, whatever happened to that boy you were dating?"

There had been a boy a few weeks ago, he'd showed up out the blue on Cat's arm like they usually do. He was tall, lean and had the chiseled jaw of a demigod. Jade had just been on the verge of congratulating Cat on her success when the boy opened his mouth and asked if the group wanted to come to his Frisbee golf tournament that weekend. She couldn't stop laughing for ten whole minutes.

"Lance? He didn't know the difference between a Pegasus and a unicorn. Some people just aren't that smart, you know?"

Jade stifles a laugh and nods her head slowly, "Oh, that's too bad."

"Yea, he was a really good kisser too but I can't date a dummy, I've got standards." Cat is walking around Jade's room as she talks, her hands skimming shelves and pictures frames as she passes them. "My brother dated a dummy once. Like an actual mannequin. He thought she was just really quiet."

A laugh almost escapes her but Jade tenses her whole body to keep it in. She ignores the brother story, as entertaining as it could be and decides to get a little mischievous again. "Good kisser, huh?"

"He used to pick me up while I kissed him, he was so tall it was like I was kissing a skyscraper."

"He was a pretty big guy," Jade says as she quietly gets up from her chair, leaving her apple core on her side table. She moves carefully across the room until she's just behind Cat and hovers there as the girl continues.

"I asked him if he was part giant but he didn't understand," Cat adds as she picks up a cd case and traces the cover design with an index finger.

Jade takes a step forward and puts a hand on the small of Cat's back. She leans in close, her breath warm against the shell of Cat's ear, "did he ever whisper in your ear when you were making out?"

As Cat shudders Jade takes a step back, "I fucking love when they do that." She goes back to her chair, hangs her feet over the edge of it and just watches Cat. She hasn't moved from her spot but her spine is rigid, her hands are clasped so tightly around the cd case that Jade is almost sure she heard a crack from the plastic.

"Boys, gotta love 'em," Jade says with a smile.

A few moments later, her spine a little looser, Cat answers with a quiet, "yea, boys."

/

By the time midnight rolls around Jade is starting to get tired of messing with Cat. Her reactions haven't gotten any different, any more exciting or entertaining and Jade decides that means it's probably time for bed. She goes around her room and carefully blows out the candles that haven't burned to the quick. Cat, who's fiddling with something on her phone, doesn't seem to notice the room has gotten darker until Jade calls out to her from the still lit doorway:

"Get in bed."

Cat looks up from her phone with wide eyes and slightly parted lips. The sight makes Jade think she maybe should've let off on the flirting a little sooner but she dug herself into this homoerotic hole so she's just going to have to deal.

They both make their way towards the bed and lift the covers in synchronicity; Jade almost gags at how perfect movie couple the motion is. Cat ends up hesitating on the edge of the bed so Jade has to be the one to slide in first, the sheets cool against her skin. She reaches over and blows out the few remaining candles on her nightstand as Cat climbs into bed, the bed dipping gently with her weight.

When Jade turns back around Cat is sitting up next to her, her eyes very obviously focused on Jade's lips. The brunette figures bracing herself would probably be a wise decision but instead she watches Cat, her eyes flickering briefly to the redhead's lips before jumping up to her eyes. They make eye contact and Cat holds her gaze for several long moments but she never moves nearer to Jade, she just sits there and watches Jade watching her.

"Goodnight, Cat," Jade finally says, breaking the silence. Cat's eyes flicker to her lips again as she speaks and Jade is tempted to give the girl another wink but foregoes the action in the hopes of saving herself from a surprise 3am fondling. She's relatively sure Cat's the kind of person who would ask before actively fondling someone, though.

"Goodnight, Jade." Cat answers a few silent moments later.

Jade feels Cat settle down into bed, the heat of the girl's arm radiating against Jade's own. She finds it somewhat comforting, the whisper of company just a few inches away, still and silent but still warm against her.

/

When Jade wakes up in the morning she discovers that Cat is holding her hand under the covers. It's a sweet gesture but Jade's palm is surprisingly sweaty so she carefully extracts her hand and wipes it against her blanket. Cat's red velvet hair is splayed against Jade's black pillows, her face towards Jade and breath warm against the brunette's shoulder.

Last night had been great, at least for Jade but she's kind of proud of Cat for sticking it through. There were a few times when Jade was sure Cat was ready to leave but she stayed and Jade is impressed with how well Cat withstood her advances. Jade was so sure, right before they fell asleep, that Cat was going to kiss her and she probably would have let it happen, just for the experience, but Cat had backed off and gone to sleep. Jade had been a little upset that it hadn't happened but it had given her a fairly good idea as to how she should finish up her time with Cat.

Jade slips out of bed careful not to disturb the redhead, and heads downstairs into the kitchen. At some point her mother and little brother are going to come home so she decides that maybe getting Cat out of the house soon would be a good idea. Jade grabs two granola bars and pours two glasses of orange juice and then heads back upstairs.

Cat is awake when she walks in the door but she's still in bed, rubbing sleepily at her eyes. "Good morning, Jade," she says with a sleepy smile as she stretches her arms out in front of her.

"Mediocre morning, Cat," Jade replies and throws a granola at the girl. "I got us breakfast."

The granola bar lands in Cat's lap and she gives Jade another sleepy, but bright, smile as Jade hands her a glass of orange juice. "Thank you."

Jade climbs back up into bed and cradles her glass of orange juice between her knees as she opens her granola bar. They're both halfway through their bars when Jade decides it's probably time for Cat to head home. "Alright, time for you to scoot," she announces around a mouthful of granola.

Cat, mid-sip of orange juice, looks over the rim of her glass at Jade and raises her eyebrows in confusion.

"You heard me, pipsqueak, time to get a move on." Jade thinks that maybe kicking Cat out like this is a bit much considering they've only been awake for less than a half hour. She can't take it back, though. She's the one that started this game so she's going to play it all the way through, even if Cat comes out of it a little worse for wear.

"But I'm not-," Cat starts as she sets her glass down on Jade's side table.

"Ah, don't care, my mom's coming home soon and she'll want you to stay for lunch so you've gotta go." Jade pats at Cat's knee under the covers and gives her a little tap towards the edge of the bed.

"Why can't I stay for lunch?"

"Because I don't want you to," Jade answers simply. "And I want my shirt back before you leave."

"Y-your," Cat stammers and looks down, grimacing again at the words. "Okay," she says.

Jade sips her juice slowly and watches Cat search for her tank top. When she finds it she turns her back to Jade and carefully slips out of Jade's shirt and back into her own slightly sticky one. Jade appreciates the view, however short it is.

"Scoot," Jade barks at Cat and the girl quickly grabs her purse and shoots out of Jade's bedroom door.

Jade calmly sets down her juice and follows Cat down the stairs, taking them just slow enough that when she gets to the bottom Cat is already at the front door. "Cat," Jade calls sweetly.

Cat's hand pauses on the door handle and she turns around to look at Jade, the hope in her eyes apparent to Jade even with the distance between them. Jade stalks towards Cat carefully, her eyes locked with the redhead's. When she gets to the door she unlocks it and places her hand atop Cat's on the door handle.

"I'm impressed," Jade begins.

"With what?" Cat asks, her body tensing up minutely as Jade takes a step towards her.

"How well you did," Jade answers, her thumb brushing gently against the back of Cat's hand.

Before Cat can say another word Jade dips down and presses her lips to Cat's and she can feel the whole girl's body hum with excitement, it's actually rather endearing. The kiss is soft and short, Jade lingering just enough that when she pulls away Cat is naturally leaning towards her.

"Bye, Cat," Jade whispers against the shell of Cat's ear before she places her hands on the girl's shoulders and moves her aside to open the door. She gives Cat a little push forward and the girl stumbles out onto Jade's porch, the morning sunlight bright in her hair. Just as Cat is about to turn around Jade shuts the door and locks it, a smile finding her lips as she turns around to head back upstairs.


End file.
